Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814)
Political Standing: Anti-Federalist
"Every domestic enjoyment depends on the unimpaired possessioin of civil and religious liberty."
-Mercy Otis Warren (Proposed).
Background: Mercy Otis Warren was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1728 to a family of political revolutionaries (Mount). She was raised as the only girl in a family of boys. Her father was a member of the House of Representatives, and inspired much of her thinking. Luckily for her, one of her older brothers Joseph was not interested in going to college, so she went in his place (Proposed). Mercy and James (another older brother) went to college at Harvard University, there she met her husband James Warren, and became educated in literature and history (Proposed).
Geography: Mercy lived in Massachusetts all of her life (Proposed), a New England state that was covered in trees and to the east the Atlantic Ocean provided the colonists fish, whales, and trade routes (specifically pertaining to the Boston Harbor). The economy at this time was poor, and with little revenue being made, the government was taking possession of small farmer's lands to help pay of debt. This sparked what became known as Shays's Rebellion; a vital contributor to the summoning of the Constitutional Convention and the end of the Articles of Confederation (Mount). On top of the poor economy, Massachusettes was split; half Federalists, half Anti-Federalist, making the radification of the constitution difficult.
Involvement in the Constitutional Convention: Mercy Warren was not involved in the convention merely because she was a women. Although she has opinions on the Constitution, she could not openly voice them. Instead, she anonymously submitted pieces to the paper that expressed how she felt about the Constitution. For instance, she published a pamplet anonymously as "A Columbian Patriot" arguing that the Constitution took away the rights of some states as well as the rights of private citizens (Proposed). With this she also argued that by not having a strong judicial government and potentially abolishing trial by jury, the Constitution took away American's rights to life, liberty, and property (Proposed). When she wasn't getting published anonymously, she used propaganda in her plays to trash the beliefs of Federalists (Lauter). Although she wasn't present and the convention, she made an impact on some of the citizens of Massachusetts, which in the end voted to ratify the Constitution (after the Bill of Rights were added) by a close 187-168 pole (Mount).
State Convention: Mercy was not a member of the state convention, however through her writings she tried to convince the people that the Constitution took away American's liberties (Proposed). Her husband was present at the convention, but little is mentioned about his involvement and whether or not he spoke to her cause at the convention.
Friends/References:
Thomas Jefferson (Mount)
Patrick Henry (Mount)
George Mason (Mount)
Foe:
John Adams (once friend, turned enemy after Mercy commented on his nature) (Lauter)
Alexander Hamilton (Mount)
James Madison (Mount)
Mount, Steve. "Constitutional Topic: The Federalists and Anti-Federalists - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." Index Page - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. Craig Walenta, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_faf.html.
*"The Proposed Constitution Should Not Be Ratified." 227-34. Print. (This is from the pdf posted on edmodo entitled debate_character_positions3. I was unsure of the book title and the author, if I may, I will correct it tomorrow).
Political Standing: Anti-Federalist
"Every domestic enjoyment depends on the unimpaired possessioin of civil and religious liberty."
-Mercy Otis Warren (Proposed).
Background: Mercy Otis Warren was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1728 to a family of political revolutionaries (Mount). She was raised as the only girl in a family of boys. Her father was a member of the House of Representatives, and inspired much of her thinking. Luckily for her, one of her older brothers Joseph was not interested in going to college, so she went in his place (Proposed). Mercy and James (another older brother) went to college at Harvard University, there she met her husband James Warren, and became educated in literature and history (Proposed).
Geography: Mercy lived in Massachusetts all of her life (Proposed), a New England state that was covered in trees and to the east the Atlantic Ocean provided the colonists fish, whales, and trade routes (specifically pertaining to the Boston Harbor). The economy at this time was poor, and with little revenue being made, the government was taking possession of small farmer's lands to help pay of debt. This sparked what became known as Shays's Rebellion; a vital contributor to the summoning of the Constitutional Convention and the end of the Articles of Confederation (Mount). On top of the poor economy, Massachusettes was split; half Federalists, half Anti-Federalist, making the radification of the constitution difficult.
Involvement in the Constitutional Convention: Mercy Warren was not involved in the convention merely because she was a women. Although she has opinions on the Constitution, she could not openly voice them. Instead, she anonymously submitted pieces to the paper that expressed how she felt about the Constitution. For instance, she published a pamplet anonymously as "A Columbian Patriot" arguing that the Constitution took away the rights of some states as well as the rights of private citizens (Proposed). With this she also argued that by not having a strong judicial government and potentially abolishing trial by jury, the Constitution took away American's rights to life, liberty, and property (Proposed). When she wasn't getting published anonymously, she used propaganda in her plays to trash the beliefs of Federalists (Lauter). Although she wasn't present and the convention, she made an impact on some of the citizens of Massachusetts, which in the end voted to ratify the Constitution (after the Bill of Rights were added) by a close 187-168 pole (Mount).
State Convention: Mercy was not a member of the state convention, however through her writings she tried to convince the people that the Constitution took away American's liberties (Proposed). Her husband was present at the convention, but little is mentioned about his involvement and whether or not he spoke to her cause at the convention.
Friends/References:
Thomas Jefferson (Mount)
Patrick Henry (Mount)
George Mason (Mount)
Foe:
John Adams (once friend, turned enemy after Mercy commented on his nature) (Lauter)
Alexander Hamilton (Mount)
James Madison (Mount)
Work Cited
Lauter, Paul. "Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814)." Redirection to Equivalent @ Cengage. Dartmouth College. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. http://college.cengage.com/english/lauter/heath/4e/students/author_pages/eighteenth/warren_me.html.
Mount, Steve. "Constitutional Topic: The Federalists and Anti-Federalists - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." Index Page - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. Craig Walenta, 15 Jan. 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_faf.html.
*"The Proposed Constitution Should Not Be Ratified." 227-34. Print. (This is from the pdf posted on edmodo entitled debate_character_positions3. I was unsure of the book title and the author, if I may, I will correct it tomorrow).